On the Steelers offense:"Obviously, they've got speed at wide receiver. You've got a good offensive line. You have running backs that go where they're supposed to go, and they're patient and run hard. You've got Ben Roethlisberger – all he does is make plays. He could throw it the length of the field. They've got playmakers at all positions, and they find when you break down defensively. So we have to make sure that we're set and we're using our rules."
On the defense if they'd made the tackles on RB Reggie Bush:"Even after that, it's 21-13. There's a couple critical third downs that if we use our rules and we're in the right spots, we get off the field. And we're still saying, 'okay, it's eight points, it's a one score game.' We have to tackle better. Those are critical situations in a game where we have tackled in the first game and a half up to that, besides the first drive of that game. We have to make those plays in critical situations."
On if CB Brandian Ross can make an impact soon:"This is our first time seeing Brandian move. I like his movement, I don't know much more than that. [GM] Reggie [McKenzie] and [HC] Dennis [Allen] know a lot more about him than I do. I'm looking forward to working with him."
On QB Terrelle Pryor simulating Ben Roethlisberger in practice:"[Terrelle] Pryor gives us a good look. Pryor's getting better and better. He's been giving us a pretty good look every week. He can throw it the length of the field. We had him throw it the length of the field a few times today. It would be a good contest between him and Ben. I think Ben might get him because he's got a few more years on him. But Pryor's done a nice job this week moving around and simulating Ben for us in practice."
On Dolphins WR Brian Hartline versus Raiders cornerbacks:"Hartline's a good route runner. And we knew he was a good route runner. The biggest thing with our corners is understanding where their help is. When they have help and where they need to play and the different calls. Brian hasn't had a breakout game, and that was his first one. Obviously you don't want that against your team. But he did a good job of running routes in the game. It's a matter of understanding where your help is and when you are one-on-one, challenging them, because that's your job. We have to win one-on-ones across the board. We talked a lot about activation in the past. When we're activated we have to win when we blitz and when we rush. When we get one-on-ones as defensive linemen or linebackers or corners, that's what you have to win. There are times in the first game where we won a lot of those one-on-ones, and in the last game really. We have to win more of those and we have to win them in the critical situations. You have to know those situations: third down, red zone, etc. Those are some of the ones where had we helped ourselves, on those situations, we're off the field."
On if they gave Hartline too much cushion: "It depends on the call. There's a lot of other calls where he didn't have a lot of room to run, but yeah, when you're one-on-one, you have to challenge those guys."
On "off-coverage" play-calling:"You just starting lined up 'off' the man, rather than pressed up 'on' the man. There's advantages and disadvantages to both. Some players are better at each different technique. You have to choose -- by game plan, by matchup, by where the guy is on the line -- what we're going to use based on the rules of the defense. There was times where it was off-coverage and he may catch a curl on first-and-10, because it's designed, and if he gets eight yards, fine. Make the tackle and go to the next play. But there are times on third down where if it's third-and-eight, and even you're playing off, we expect you to make the play. It's third and eight -- you have to know your matchup and you have to know your one-on-one, and if you're playing off by design, you have to make that play. So there's a difference. But you pick off, press. The place you don't want to be is in the middle because in the middle they'll step on your toes and beat you. You're either all the way off, pedaling, using your technique as a cover guy or you're all the way pressed to disrupt and re-route. Then what we do is we have multiple coverages that go with those techniques; sometimes we're off and come on down and it's actually a cover two. Sometimes we're off and it is off, sometimes we're off and we'll run back up and press. The guys have to know when to do all those things and when to apply them. Is off-coverage the reason? No. But it's a technique."
